While most of the research on intergener-
ational relations in immigrant families focuses
on strains and conflicts, the literature indicates
that there is another side to the story that de-
mands equal attention. To say that families are
battlefields between the generations (Lessinger
1995) is an oversimplification and an exaggera-
tion. In many, probably most, cases, conflict is
mixed with caring and cooperation, and rejec-
tion of some parental standards and practices
is coupled with acceptance of others. In immi-
grant families, as in families in the wider U.S.
population, familial norms of responsibility and
feelings of closeness generally characterize in-
tergenerational relations, which are a source
of material, practical, and emotional support
(Swartz 2009).